World of Warcraft Classes
All 13 classes in World of Warcraft: Midnight – their specializations, roles, armor and resources, plus how to pick the right one for you.
World of Warcraft has 13 classes. Each has three specializations (specs) – the Druid has four – and your spec decides your role in a group: tank, healer or damage dealer (DPS). You can switch spec for free outside combat, so you're never locked into one role.
Midnight added one new spec: the Devourer Demon Hunter, a mid-range damage dealer that uses Void magic instead of Fel. Void Elves can also become Demon Hunters for the first time.
All classes at a glance
| Name | Specializations | Armor | Resource |
|---|---|---|---|
| Death Knight | Blood (Tank), Frost (Melee DPS), Unholy (Melee DPS) | Plate | Runes and Runic Power |
| Demon Hunter | Havoc (Melee DPS), Vengeance (Tank), Devourer (Ranged DPS) | Leather | Fury (Havoc and Vengeance) |
| Druid | Balance (Ranged DPS), Feral (Melee DPS), Guardian (Tank), Restoration (Healer) | Leather | Mana, Energy, Rage or Astral Power (by form) |
| Evoker | Devastation (Ranged DPS), Preservation (Healer), Augmentation (Support DPS) | Essence and Mana | |
| Hunter | Beast Mastery (Ranged DPS), Marksmanship (Ranged DPS), Survival (Melee DPS) | Focus | |
| Mage | Arcane (Ranged DPS), Fire (Ranged DPS), Frost (Ranged DPS) | Cloth | Mana |
| Monk | Brewmaster (Tank), Mistweaver (Healer), Windwalker (Melee DPS) | Leather | Energy and Chi, or Mana (Mistweaver) |
| Paladin | Holy (Healer), Protection (Tank), Retribution (Melee DPS) | Plate | Mana and Holy Power |
| Priest | Discipline (Healer), Holy (Healer), Shadow (Ranged DPS) | Cloth | Mana, or Insanity (Shadow) |
| Rogue | Assassination (Melee DPS), Outlaw (Melee DPS), Subtlety (Melee DPS) | Leather | Energy and Combo Points |
| Shaman | Elemental (Ranged DPS), Enhancement (Melee DPS), Restoration (Healer) | Mana and Maelstrom | |
| Warlock | Affliction (Ranged DPS), Demonology (Ranged DPS), Destruction (Ranged DPS) | Cloth | Mana and Soul Shards |
| Warrior | Arms (Melee DPS), Fury (Melee DPS), Protection (Tank) | Plate | Rage |
How to choose a class
There is no wrong pick – every class can finish all content, and balance changes every season. These questions help more than any tier list:
- Do you want to play solo a lot? Classes with a pet or strong self-healing level comfortably on their own: Hunter (Beast Mastery), Warlock, Death Knight and Paladin are classic picks.
- Do you want short queues? Tanks and healers find groups for dungeons much faster than damage dealers. Classes that can do both – Paladin, Druid, Monk – let you try each.
- Melee or ranged? Melee classes fight up close and move with the boss; ranged and caster specs stand back and need to stay on the move to avoid danger.
- What fantasy do you like? You'll spend a lot of time with your character. A class whose look and feel you enjoy is the one you'll stick with.
A common tip for new players is to try a class until around level 30 before deciding, because a class's real rotation only comes together once more abilities unlock.
Hybrid classes vs. pure damage dealers
- Can tank, heal and deal damage: Druid, Monk, Paladin.
- Can tank or deal damage: Death Knight, Demon Hunter, Warrior.
- Can heal or deal damage: Evoker, Priest, Shaman.
- Damage only: Hunter, Mage, Rogue, Warlock.
Armor types
Every class wears one armor type, which matters when you look at loot:
- Plate: Death Knight, Paladin, Warrior
- Mail: Evoker, Hunter, Shaman
- Leather: Demon Hunter, Druid, Monk, Rogue
- Cloth: Mage, Priest, Warlock
Pick a class below for a short, beginner-friendly overview of how it plays.
Sources
Reference page written by AI (Claude) and checked against the sources above. Games change with every patch – the patch this page was last checked for is shown at the top.